Device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires and the method of making the same



Dec. 22,

Filed Jan. 16, 1952 t E E g vs DEVICE FOR DEMONSTRATING THE ICE TIRES ANOTHE METHOD OF MAKIN f i f =f2,63,094 v j DEMoNsrRArrINe'rHE ACTION ICE TIRESIANDLTVHEYVMETH- 'QDQ MA MJE SAME i .2

. a 3 Ontono gan, Mich-.- in

Whenever an automobile equippedwith' this typeof tire quickly accelerates-or suddenly decelerates, as .when the brakes are ut on, the portions of the the rider strips in engagement with the roadbed becomelongitudinally stretched. "This causes the tipsof the staples to protrude from--the wear-' ing surface of the tire to thereby providegreatly increased: tractioni" This action i someipeople' to visualizfe, a'ndit such" action cannot be observed eratingi conditions.

uri eractual-op onstra'b'le; r

:'With'the above irfrnin of. the. present invention t6 p ovide a device; f

simply and "easily ';demonstrating}the jacti snow and'iice. tires of trie-ty ehaviag' met embedded in the rider s'trips hereof? Atfurther object" ofthe 'inv'ention is t a device of the class described which is of a e tively smallsize and can and which is so' constructed under Various. conditions 'cani-bedemonstrated by manualmanipulation'thereof A further. object of the inventionlisat pro'vide animproved method 50f maki'n'g a der/1 class described including the: steps length of rubber of relativlysmall cross se having their tips exposed at the surface? A further object of the invention isltoi provide an improved; demonstrating: device *of the'icla'ss? described which I is simplejin construction," easy 1 to manufacture, and which-jis otherwisex-welli adaptedfor-the purposes described. 3

::.m1l lf :dllawing accompanying and :forming: a: 50. 9 is round 1, 1 .WEP' QY a at f i uliigi. wfi m tha 1 L 170m 93 T Q S E E POi t however, it is important" that this actionbe dem-- pi: :x x3

assassin object: gated piece of a tion around a traction-augmenting 'coil 'and thengrindingaway. a side portion of the rubber and coil to form :a plurality of; staple-like* rn'embers'- improvements in de- "naymcua'ii. Fellxer Marshfield; Wis'. assign '.ofi v yd L..:Felker, Marshficld, 5.: 1.

I .t lDav d E Crooker; I 1

n rmi tent y-16, 195a, SerialNo. 266,66"7 A i v. o1ai f.. (cr es- .4.

part of this specification, embodiment of the preferred form of the invention'is shown; and'wherein like characters of reference indicate the same parts in all of the views: Fig. 1 is a'plan'viewof theim'proved demonstrating'device in its'normal state;

. Fig. 2 is a sideielevational demonstrating device in itsinormal state; the embedded portions of thewire'coil being shown in dotted: lines;

ig'. 3 is a side elevational view of the improved demonstrating device showing it'in longitudinally stretched condition to simulate tire action during rapid acceleration or deceleration of an automobile, and showing. thestaple-like members protruding fromithe cutaway surface portion of the device; and I I r Fig.4 is a plan vie of the improved demonstrating device showing the latter in longitudinally stretched as well as in laterally bowed condition to simulate the action which takes place l 1 cross sectionshown, it may in anautomobile tire when rounding a curve.

- Referring more particularly to the drawing, the numeral 5 indicates the improved demonstrating device which comprises a normally straight elonrubber 6 which is relatively small and preferably substantially square in transverse cross section. -The nature of the-cured rubber is such that when furnished in the relatively small be grasped at opposite ends and manually'stretched a short distance.

The device is usually about one half inch square and of any convenient length for manipulation. The extent 6 may, ifdesired, be formed in its upper or topsurface B with a longitudinal central rib I. A normally straight traction augmentinginember: 9, which may take the form of a metal coil formed with corrugated wire, is embedded longitudinally in the extent 6. The metal coil 9 preferably has an outer diameter which is less than either transversedimension of the extent 6, said wire-being; positioned within said extent so that a side portion thereof extends into the rib 1, and the coil being covered-by rubber on bothsides and; at-the; bottom. In the absence fe-iri itt ee sideo of t @011 B is referablyfiu'sh with the upper surface 8 of the x -s .A-portion of the rib 1, upper surface-8 and coil W lh em va wherein one complete view of the improved of the mentioned side portion of the coil 9 forms from the coil a plurality of staple-like members II (see Fig. 2), the tips I2 of which are normally flush with the cutaway surface II), as shown. This simulates the condition of the wearing surface of a tire after a substantial period of use.

In making the improved demonstrating device the elongated metal coil 9 is placed in a suitable mold cavity in contact with one wall of the mold and is spaced from :the other walls thereof. The mold cavity is then filled with uncured rubber 6 which flows between all of the coil convolutions.

By the use of heat which has been applied to the mold, the rubber 6 is cured, l "he cured extent 6 with the coil 9 embedded therein, is then removed from the mold, and the part of the side portion of the extent 6 with which the coil 9 is substantially flush is ground Or cutawayasatuID, by a suitable abrading device. This simultaneously cuts away a side portion of the coil 9,as shown in Fig. 2, to form the staple-like members I I previously described.

condition shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the tips I2 of the staple-like members i I are substantially flush with the surface of'the cut-away portion IEI, as shown. Bymanually grasping opposite ends of the extents, andby pulling in opposite directions, the tips I2 of the staple-like members II are caused to protrude from the surface It, as is shown in Fig. 3. This is the same action which takes place when an automobile equipped with tires having coils therein rapidly accelerates or is suddenly subjected to a braking action. Thus, the improved device gives a vivid demonstration of what takes place in actual use and quickly sells the observer on the value of the coils as a skid-resistin medium.

By bowing the extent 6 with resulting stretching, as shown in Fig. 4, the device is made to simulate the action of a wire coil equipped tire when the car is rounding a curve. When the device is thus stressed, the tips I2 of the staplelike members I I again protrude to thereby vividly demonstrate the traction augmenting action of the staples II when an automobile equipped therewith rounds a curve.

The improved device permits easy demonstration of the tire action by simple manual manipu-v lation and it effectively demonstrates the position of the tips of the staple-like members under various conditions of operation. The above fact, together with the compactness of the device renders it particularly well adapted for use by salesmen, and the simplicity of its construction renders it inexpensive to manufacture.

Portions of the top surface of the unit may be left unground, as shown at each end in the drawing. This enables the salesman to show customers the condition of the tire tread before wear takes place. In addition, ends of the coil 9 may project from the ends of the rubber to demonstrate the structure of the coil itself.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires comprising: a length of rubber which is sufficiently flexible and of such limited cross-sectional size that it can be manually stretched and bowed, and a single elongated traction augmenting member'embedded longitudisnow and ice tires comprising:

4 nally within said length of rubber and occupying the major portion of the cross section thereof, a portion of said length of rubber being of reduced thickness, and there being incomplete portions of said traction augmenting member at a surface of said portion which is of reduced thickness.

2. A device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires comprising: alength of rubber which is sufficiently flexible and of such limited cross-sectional size that 'it can be manually stretched and bowed, and a single metal coil embedded longitudinally in said length of rubber and occupying the major portion of the cross section thereof, a portion of said length of rubber being of reducedthickness, portions of said coil beingof incomplete staple-like form and having ends exposed at the top surface of said rubber portionwhichisof reduced thickness.

.3. A device for demonstrating the action of a normally straight length of rubber which is suificiently flexible and of such limited cross-sectional size When the device 5 is in the normal unstressed that it can be manually stretched and bowed, and a single normally straight elongated traction augmenting member embedded longitudinally within said length of rubber and occupying the major portion of the cross section thereof, a portion of said length of rubber being of reduced thickness, and there being incomplete portions of said tract on augmenting member at a surface of said portion which is of reduced thickness.

4-. A device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires comprising: a normally straight length of rubber which is sufficiently flexible and of such limited cross-sectional size that it can be manually stretched and bowed, and

surface of said rubber portion which is of thickness.

6. A device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires comprising: a length of rubber which is sufiiciently flexible and of such limited cross-sectional area that it can be manually stretched and bowed, and a single elongated metal coil embedded longitudinally within said length of rubber and occupying the major portion last-mentioned portion.

A device for demonstrating the action of snow and ice tires comprising: a length of rubber which is suificie'ntly flexible and of such limited cross-sectional area that it can be manually stretched and bowed, and a single elongated metal coilembedded longitudinally within said length of rubber and occupying the major por- 5 tion of the cross section thereof, a portion of said length of rubber being of reduced thickness, and portions of said coil being of incomplete staplelike form and having ends exposed at the top surface of said rubber portion of reduced thickness, another portion of the length of rubber being of full thickness, and sides of complete coil portions being substantially flush with the top of said last-mentioned portion, an end portion of the coil rojecting from an end of the length of rubber.

RAYMOND L. FELKER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,159,244 Midgley Nov. 2, 1915 1,740,616 Midgley Dec. 24, 1929 2,479,474 Crooker Aug. 16, 1949 2,526,746 Hawkinson Oct. 24, 1950 2,568,542 Friestedt Sept. 18, 1951 2,600,506 Rimes June 17, 1952 2,600,534

Hawkinson June 17, 1952 

